PANAJI
The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) busted another drugs racket with the arrest of three persons including a local narco offender for allegedly peddling 13 kg of ganja worth Rs 13 lakh.
The late Monday night raid at Assonora saw the arrest of Shashikant Kumar Gupta and Guddu Kumar Bhuiya, both natives of Jharkhand, and Assagao resident Mervyn Fernandes.
According to ANC, Fernandes, is a habitual offender with previous cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and was first arrested in 2018 by Bhuntar Police Station in Himachal Pradesh for possession of commercial quantities of charas.
Earlier this year, Fernandes and his father were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Goa Unit during a raid at their residence in Assagao, where cocaine and charas were seized. Both cases are currently under trial in courts in Himachal Pradesh and Goa.
"Preliminary investigations revealed that Fernandes procured the contraband from Jharkhand and the other two accused arrive in Goa with 10kg consignment. The remaining 3 kgs were found with Fernandes," ANC said.
The ANC sleuths claimed they have been working on this case for two weeks after a tip-off about an interstate ganja smuggling racket.
The accused have been remanded to police custody for further investigation. This is ANC's fourth raid in 7 days with a total of six arrests and seizure of drugs worth around Rs 22 lakh.
